The 19th century saw many applications of electricity to chemical processes and chemical understanding. Bridging the gap between electrical engineering and chemistry led innovative young men in industrial and academic circles to search for a new forum to discuss developments in the burgeoning field of electrochemistry. Into this era, The Electrochemical Society was born in 1902.

The charter members included a number of distinguished chemists and electrochemists, among them: E. G. Acheson, who commercialized carborundum, an artificial graphite; H. H. Dow, the founder of Dow Chemical Company; C. M. Hall, the inventor of the Hall process for the manufacture of aluminum; and Edward Weston, the founder of Weston Instruments. In 1903, Thomas A. Edison joined the Society and enjoyed membership for 28 years. A true technological genius, Edison held patents for more than 1,000 inventions; some of his notable works included the incandescent electric lamp, the phonograph, the motion picture projector, and the nickel-iron alkaline battery. Over the years, the Society’s membership has included many other distinguished scientists and engineers, including several Nobel laureates.

ECS continues to be that forum for electrochemical and solid-state science and technology envisioned over 100 years.